Solo Travel As A Woman: The Tricks You Need To Know

Many people who have experience will tell you that travelling solo is no different for women than it is for men. This can be true, for the most part. However, women still tend to be a little more apprehensive to travel than men, and can end up burning themselves out on a trip if they’re not careful. There are minor differences, but absolutely no reason that a woman shouldn’t go travelling alone if she wants to. This can be a completely transformative experience that can help anybody to learn more about themselves and other cultures than ever before. At the very least, you’ll return home with some fantastic memories and stories to tell.

Solo Travel As A Woman: The Tricks You Need To Know

If you’re planning on going travelling alone, the tricks outlined here will help you to have the best time.

Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself

Make sure you don’t beat yourself up when you’re travelling solo. It’s normal to get a little lost, make a mistake or two, and even miss home. It’s all part of the journey, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for feeling that way. Your feelings are valid and normal, and it definitely doesn’t mean that you made a mistake by choosing to solo travel.

Learn to let go, and to make that voice in your head a little kinder. You’ll have a much nicer time if you do this!

Take Days To Recharge And Recuperate

If you’re going travelling for weeks, or even months, then it’s important you take days here and there to recharge and recuperate when you need them. You don’t have to fill up every single day with new sites and activities, no matter how pressured you feel by Instagram, travel blogs, and other media. When you’re feeling stressed, take a day on the beach or by the pool. Just relax, enjoy a book, eat some great food and get a good night’s sleep. These days can be just as fun and exciting as the days you climb mountains.

Do Things Your Way

Don’t feel pressured to do what you think you should do, or what somebody else is telling you to do. Sure, read up on tips and other people who have been there before you, but make this trip your own. You don’t have to see the eiffel tower in Paris. You don’t have to go scuba diving in the Caribbean. Do the things you really want to do, whether they are popular tourist attractions or off the beaten path.

Start Packing At Least A Week Before You Travel

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to pack. This ensures you don’t forget anything, and that you can actually shut your case when it comes to leaving. Packing light is a good idea, but if you want to take your hair appliances, do it. You want to make this trip as stress-free as possible for you, and if you know frizzy/super straight hair is going to stress you out, take what you need.

Don’t Make Your Plan Too Rigid

A rigid plan will make you feel like you can’t say yes to adventure. You might meet a cool group of people who invite you along somewhere with them. You might discover something on your travels that you had never thought of doing before. If you make your plan rigid and refuse to deviate, then you might just miss out on some awesome opportunities.

Of course, you should plan enough in advance so that you know where you’re travelling to, and that you have the appropriate visas and documents in place. Resources like Turkey-visa-service can help you here. Make sure you get vaccinations and take other precautions too. Then, when it comes to outlining what you actually want to do, keep it casual.

Take Your Personal Safety Seriously

This isn’t just something that women need to do, of course, but it’s worth mentioning. Taking your personal safety seriously will ensure that you have the best time imaginable and peace of mind on top.

Carry a personal alarm with you, so that you can alert people if somebody attacks you or attempts to attack you. You might even want to take a self defence course so that you’re better prepared. This will probably not happen, but you’d rather be safe than sorry, right? Only take registered taxis and other means of transport – booking them in advance is a good idea. You might want to ask your accommodation to book for you, and see if you can share with other travellers. This will minimize both the risk and the fayre.

Try not to arrive to your destination at night time, as it can be stressful and difficult to find your bearings. If you drink, don’t let your drink out of your sight, and don’t drink too much. Stay hydrated and keep drinking under control. If somebody offers to buy you a drink, it’s usually better not to accept, or keep a close eye on it.

Don’t make yourself look like an easy target. Don’t wear flashy jewelry or flash your money around. Keep accessories to a minimum and try to blend in with the clothes you wear so you don’t look like a tourist. Don’t carry more than you need with you. Lock your bag or invest in a safe for your room if you can, too.

Keep A Diary/Write Online

The great thing about keeping a diary when you travel, is that you’ll remember even the smallest moments. You might forget the beautiful sunset you saw, or the cute dog that you made friends with. Writing it down can be a cathartic experience; it can help you to get more out of your travels, learn from your mistakes, learn about yourself, and remember some of the best experiences of your life better. Purchase a journal, or start a website and blog online. Travel blogging can help others, and if you continue to share your experiences you might even find that you get offered free trips (although you need to work hard).

Understand The Culture

Make sure you do plenty of research on the culture before you travel. This will ensure you’re well prepared for the culture shock (they can be very different to what you’re used to), and that you can avoid offending anybody. The smallest thing can be offensive in foreign countries, such as showing the soles of your feet.

Reduce Hassle Before Your Trip

Make sure you aim to reduce hassle as you travel by downloading apps. Download them before you leave and you’ll have a much better time. You’ll easily be able to translate words you can’t understand, find places to visit and eat, and order transport.

You can also reduce hassle by making the effort to learn key phrases. What are you likely going to want to say while you travel? Locals will appreciate it if you make an effort, and you might even get better treatment in restaurants and other places for it!

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Make sure you take this opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. If you’re thinking about solo travel, stop thinking and commit to doing it. Take baby steps by going places close to home for the day, or a couple of days. Then venture further afield. Nothing good ever happened inside of a person’s comfort zone, and you’ll grow as a person for it.

Are you ready to travel solo after reading this? Leave your thoughts and experiences below!